Under what circumstances can one hope to get to use their return flight without using the forward flight?
I bought a return flight with LOT flying out on the 19th of April and coming back on the 7th of May.
Since Switzerland has placed Lithuania on a 10-day quarantine list on the 19th after I got the ticket, I got another (this time business class because these were only ones left) ticket from LOT on the 18th without return, so I would land on 18th when I still don't have to go into quarantine.
Then yesterday it hit me that I had likely lost the second ticket, I called them and ofc they said "sorry" so I bought another one-way ticket to fly back on the same flight that I had a return ticket originally.
We had a chat with a colleague and he said I didn't have a chance to get my return flight without taking the forward one even if I flew business with the same airline, and the whole calling airline exercise was very much pointless.
Has anyone had experience with an airline that had allowed to use return flight when forward one was not used and under what circumstances?
Best Answer
If you don't show for the outward leg, you typically lose your complete ticket value. This is understandable, as by simply not showing up, you deprive the airline of any chance to resell your seat.
You can normally save a good chunk of the ticket's value by calling them before the outward leg, and rebooking to the days you want - or even simply cancelling it, and using the value whenever booking any other flight with that airline. There are often significant fees (200 - 300 $ are normal), but for an expensive ticket, there is enough value to recover.
Pictures about "Under what circumstances can one hope to get to use their return flight without using the forward flight?"
Can I just use return flight?
Although airlines practice a varying degree of flexibility, many airlines will modify a round-trip fare to allow one-way use, though some airlines may charge a penalty or fee for this service.Can I buy a round-trip ticket and only use the return flight?
Can I buy a roundtrip ticket for a one-way trip? Technically, you can buy a roundtrip ticket and only use it to go one-way, but airlines frown upon this. And, you can only skip the return flight. If you miss a segment of your trip, the airline may cancel the rest of your ticket without giving you a refund.Do you have to buy a returning flight?
Some airlines are very strict about the proof of onward travel rule. What is this? If you can't provide proof, you won't be allowed to board your flight. Or they'll ask you to buy a return ticket from them right then and there \u2014 which can often cost hundreds of dollars more than you want to spend.HOW TO CLAIM COMPENSATION FOR FLIGHT DELAYS| AIRHELP
More answers regarding under what circumstances can one hope to get to use their return flight without using the forward flight?
Answer 2
If you don't fly the first leg, the airline will cancel the ticket. You have three options
- Buy a new one way ticket
- Cancel the ticket and try to get some credit for it that you can apply to a new ticket
- Change the existing ticket to a one way.
You should price out all three options and go with the cheapest one.
If you change your ticket, the airline will reprice the remaining leg as a one-way ticket and you will have to pay the difference between the new and the ticket old price plus a change fee (which is dependent on the terms and conditions of your initial ticket).
If you are lucky, the one way is cheaper than the original return and you may be able to offset the change fee.
This depends a lot on the exact terms and conditions of the initial ticket.
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Pok Rie, Pok Rie, Pok Rie, RF._.studio